OREANDA-NEWS. UTair Aviation and Svyaz-Bank, in partnership with REGION Leasing, have completed the first refinancing acquisition deal for the purchase of three Mi-8AMT helicopters

"This transaction has laid the foundation of our cooperation with Svyaz-Bank," said UTair CFO Igor Petrov of the transaction. ''Due to favorable financing conditions, we were able to optimize the company's spending to upgrade our fleet."

"We hope that our financing support in the acquisition of the Mi-8AMT helicopters will strengthen our position the in the global aviation market along with the expansion of UTair’s helicopter fleet," said Svyaz-Bank deputy chairman Sergei Volokhov.

UTair Mi-8AMT helicopters operate under international commercial contracts in Europe, and also are used by oil and gas industry in Western and Eastern Siberia. “UTair Aviation “ has more than 40 years of experience in operating all classes of Mil helicopters in different regions of the world. UTair has more than 350 helicopters of various types in its fleet, including the Mi-26, the world’s most powerful rotary wing lifting aircraft in world.

UTair Aviation, part of the UTair Group, is the leading helicopter operator in the world in terms of transport capacity and fleet size, with more than 350 domestic and foreign made helicopters in operation, primarily Mil and Eurocopter. UTair Group helicopters service clients on 4 continents. Principal UTair clients for helicopter services in Russia include leading Russian oil and gas companies, many of which have more than 40 years of cooperation with the airline. UTair is the largest provider of helicopter services to the UN since 2002. The range of rotorcraft capability in the UTair fleet and the professionalism of UTair personnel ensure the safety and service quality of flight operations at any level complexity in all geographic and climatic zones of the planet.

REGION Leasing was established in 2011 and is a part of the REGION group of companies. The Universal Leasing Company REGION Leasing aims to assist in the realization of modernization programs involving capital and technical equipment within industrial enterprises in key capital-intensive industries. REGION Leasing specializes in the leasing of motor vehicles, machinery and equipment, aircraft, and sea and river vessels. The REGION group of companies was founded in 1995 and today is one of the leading investment groups in Russia operating in various segments of the financial market.

Svyaz-Bank was founded in 1991 and holds Bank of Russia general license № 1470. The Bank has a network of 51 branches in the regions of Russia. \It is a member of the deposit insurance system. Svyaz-Bank is the main shareholder of Vnesheconombank, the State Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs. The Fitch Ratings rating agency has assigned a BB long-term issuer default rating in foreign and local currency ratings and an AA (rus), national long-term rating for Svyaz-Bank. The banks ratings outlook is stable. Standard & Poor's has assigned the bank a a BB long-term credit rating and a ruAA national scale rating. The outlook for the rating is listed as 'stable'. According to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, Svyaz-Bank is among the 30 largest banks in Russia.